does anyone else get this?

Sure, I've felt like that before. God's plan for your life is dependant on one thing; your willlingness to follow it. We all screw that plan up from time to time, but God isn't harsh and unforgiving, He will give you many, many chances. But remember, you still have to deal with the concequences of the bad decisions you've made.

All throughout the Bible people have made mistakes, and God has forgiven them and given them second chances. But there have always been concequences. Like when King David committed adultery: God forgave him, but there was a price to pay (Check out 2 Samuel 11 and 12 for the full story).

God gives last chances too; and you never know when they are. King Saul disobeyed a direct instruction from God and then lied to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 15), so God removed him as King of Israel.

But the one thing to remember above all is this: God loves you, and has an awesome plan for your life. You'll screw up from time to time, but if you keep your heart right before God you'll do just fine

Pyrogenesis said:

Sure, I've felt like that before. God's plan for your life is dependant on one thing; your willlingness to follow it. We all screw that plan up from time to time, but God isn't harsh and unforgiving, He will give you many, many chances. But remember, you still have to deal with the concequences of the bad decisions you've made.

All throughout the Bible people have made mistakes, and God has forgiven them and given them second chances. But there have always been concequences. Like when King David committed adultery: God forgave him, but there was a price to pay (Check out 2 Samuel 11 and 12 for the full story).

God gives last chances too; and you never know when they are. King Saul disobeyed a direct instruction from God and then lied to the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 15), so God removed him as King of Israel.

But the one thing to remember above all is this: God loves you, and has an awesome plan for your life. You'll screw up from time to time, but if you keep your heart right before God you'll do just fine

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Yeah, I agree.

Nope never felt that way at all. I've honestly never felt God "telling me to do something".

pianoangel_18 said:

I didnt know where to post this so Im posting it here. Have you ever felt that you should do something, like god wanted you to do it or something, then just let it pass and almost felt sick afterwards for not doing it?
I know God has a plan for our lives, but he also gave us free will so do you think it is possible to make a wrong decision, like maybe doing something that god didnt have planned for you, or not doing something god did have planned for you.
If that did happen, he would provide more opportunities, wouldnt he? Do you think god does 'last chances' ?

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Story of Prodigal son


He got a 2nd chance

No wait Im thinking of the one where the guy gets swallowed by a fish and he prays to god and the fish throws him up


No wait are they the same story?

they are different

The prodigal son was a parable Jesus told (Luke 15:11-32) and the man who was swallowed by the fish was Jonah.

pianoangel_18 said:

I didnt know where to post this so Im posting it here. Have you ever felt that you should do something, like god wanted you to do it or something, then just let it pass and almost felt sick afterwards for not doing it?
I know God has a plan for our lives, but he also gave us free will so do you think it is possible to make a wrong decision, like maybe doing something that god didnt have planned for you, or not doing something god did have planned for you.
If that did happen, he would provide more opportunities, wouldnt he? Do you think god does 'last chances' ?

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Yeah, I know how you feel. I would agonize over what Christian event to go to one weekend, or which Christian CD to listen to. When it comes to details like that, I don't believe God cares that much. He cares about your motivation for doing things like that more than what you do (as long as it isn't clear-cut sin).

BTW, God had a plan for Abraham's life. Abraham screwed up multiple times, and they had their consequences, but God still blessed him and accomplished His purpose for him and through him. Even though God never intended for him to marry Hagar, lie about Sarah, or take Lot along with him God still made Abraham a "father of many nations" and a direct ancestor in the bloodline of Jesus.

little_tigress said:

they are different

The prodigal son was a parable Jesus told (Luke 15:11-32) and the man who was swallowed by the fish was Jonah.

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Oh well
both those stories relate to the topic so its all good

There are such things as last chances. Sometimes, we screw up and it causes our life to go in a different direction than it would have if we made the right choice. I thought about this once myself, even agonized over it. The Biblical example of this would be Moses in the desert. God planned for him to go into the promised land, but he struck a rock with his stick instead of speaking to it, and just like that God kept him from the promised land.

The good news is this: just because in the physical realm there are some dramatic changes that happen because of our mistakes, does not mean that we cannot have the full life God has planned for us. His Grace allows wholeness and fullness of life even when our sinful actions have physical consequences. My current philosophy (not theology) on it is that God has an infinite number of perfect paths for us to follow. He never intends for us to screw up, but when we do, He's got a new direction to point us in.

I honestly think that some bad decisions I made in my relationship with one girl I dated two years ago have the consequence that both of us will marry a different person, instead of eachother. I don't know its truth, that's just what I believe the reality of that situation is. That thought no longer bothers me. Christ has freed me from it, and I see that God's beauty means that there are other girls out there I can marry and together with them grow perfect.

Hmmm...I feel you pianoangel...I feel you

Just because something didn't happen, doesn't mean it won't happen. If it didn't happen, then maybe it didn't for a reason. On the other hand, your life may be taking a different path, but that doesn't mean that whatever it is won't happen in the future. Even our greatest disappointments can lead to great joy. God opens doors, He gives us more chances